A tribute to Wesley Garrett: a person who loved Tignall

By REV. FICKLEN GUIN

Early Monday morning, July 17, 2017, one of Tignall, Georgia’s citizens at large went home to be with God in Heaven. He will be missed greatly.

Wesley did not live physically in Tignall, except on his visits to the Garrett Home Place every other week. However, he was still a citizen of Tignall and in his mind and heart, he never really left Tignall after he graduated from Tignall High School. He moved away in body for his advanced education and his occupation, which were always in the Atlanta area, but his heart remained in Tignall, Georgia.

Wesley met and married his wife, Mary, and were blessed with their son, Greg. Greg and Kiddy gave them two beautiful granddaughters, Charli and Alex. They have spent the last 63 years away from Tignall, but, at the same time, not away from Tignall. Wesley’s heart was sealed here by his love for Tignall. Everyone in his family had to live in Tignall through Wesleys’s heart that spoke to them time and time again over the years about Tignall.

Wesley and his sister Beverly still own the Garrett Home Place on Danburg Street. Tignall’s magnetism has always kept them imbedded in their God-given roots. Therefore, Wesley had to be brought back when his physical death came. He was buried in the Tignall Cemetery on July 20, 2017 with a huge crowd of family and friends in attendance for the celebration of his life.

Over the years, Wesley has been responsible for assisting in bringing together his classmates of 1954, as well as other classes who attended Tignall High School, for periodic celebrations. Wesley felt that everyone who ever went to Tignall High School should love that place as much as he did. Therefore, he felt we all needed to get together every so often for a great celebration. We did this with the leadership of Wesley and other classmates. We can never thank him enough for what he has done towards keeping Tignall and Tignall High School in the minds and hearts of everyone who loves the Tignall area.

At Wesley’s funeral service at the Tignall Baptist Church, all of the work and love that Wesley has put into his life of 81 years was visible through all that were present. It will always be remembered as a great celebration for the Tignall area. We laid his physical body back into the sweet earth from whence Wesley came when he was born on July 2, 1936.

This celebration was led by his pastor, Todd Ware of Monroe Baptist Church, also a native Tignall family, along with Wesley’s family, who brought his physical body back to Tignall. Present as attendants were his classmates: Ficklen Guin, Charles Smith, Gene Wilson, Gayle Robinson, Billy Lunceford, Gene Lunceford, and special, special friend Hugh Keener.

Wesley’s family and close friends were given a meal at the home of Nobie and Hugh Keener with a heart of love by those who assisted in this endeavor with food and beverages.

All of Wesley’s male classmates proclaim a special “thank you” to Wesley for working so diligently over the past years in making sure we all got together at least once a year, and sometimes twice a year, to have a meal together and talk about our memories of Tignall and Tignall High School. Most of the time these gatherings took place at Wesley’s home in Tignall.

The only male classmate who, lately, has not been able to attend is Johnny Guest of Elberton. He is in failing health and our prayers go out to him.

Also at Wesley’s funeral were two female classmates, Elizabeth Lindsey Smith and Carolyn Adams Sargent. Out of the eighteen who graduated from the Tignall High School in June of 1954, eight were present for Wesley’s funeral. Out of the eighteen, six are now deceased and two were unable to attend because of distance. They were Betty Lindsey Echols and Jane Wilkerson Arnold.

We appreciate the News Reporter for giving us this special space in the paper so that we could give a tribute of love to our very special friend, Wesley Garrett, who touched us greatly during his years on this earth.

May Wesley rest in peace in Heaven with his Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our prayers and thoughts wish his family God’s blessings in the name of Jesus by God’s Holy Spirit.